Grayston Drive bridge collapse inquiry finishes collecting evidence

Ememrgency personnel at the accident scene after the collapse of a temporary pedestrian bridge next to Grayston Drive onto the M1 highway.
Image:
Gallo Images

We might soon find out what led to the fatal Grayston Drive bridge collapse‚ which killed two people in October 2015.

The inquiry into the collapse of the pedestrian and cyclist bridge this week completed its work of gathering evidence‚ the Department of Labour said on Friday. But while this means there is an end in sight for the process‚ it is by no means the final step.

The next stage will be the submission of written heads of arguments by legal representatives of interested stakeholders‚ which has to take place by August 14‚ 2018. This will be followed by written responses to the heads of argument which are expected to be submitted by September 17‚ 2018.

The inquiry was set up by the department to investigate the collapse of the bridge on October 14‚ 2015 at about 3pm. The collapse led to the death of two people and left 19 others injured.

The victims were KwaZulu-Natal businessman Adrian Doodnath‚ who was travelling with his wife‚ his parents and a cousin when he was killed as the scaffolding collapsed on their Fortuner.

The other victim was taxi driver Siyabonga Myeni‚ originally from KwaNongoma in KZN‚ who died when a beam pierced his chest.

The maskandi music fan was survived by five children‚ his parents and three siblings.

The Grayston inquiry had its first sitting in February 2016 ‚ but experienced several delays.

This year the inquiry began on July 2 following a nine month lull. This time the inquiry set September 27 as the target to complete its work.

Among the witnesses that have come before the inquiry held in Pretoria include representatives from Murray and Roberts and Form-Scaff‚ the construction companies working on the bridge at the time of the collapse.

No timeframe was given for when the final report will be made available.